While the paper flowers are cool on their own, they also look fabulous when mixed with a few tissue flowers and fresh flowers for an eco-chic wedding bouquet or party centerpiece. Read on for all the step-by-step details (with gorgeous images!), as told by Jesi…

1. Start off with a grocery bag. (I love Trader Joe’s, but Whole Foods or Henry’s will suffice too.)

2. Draw a circle (the larger the circle, the leafier the flower) and slowly taper it in to the center like a spiral keeping the lines about 1/2 inch away from each other.

3. Take your scissors and begin cutting along the line you just drew, furthest away from the center.

4. Continue cutting, following on the drawn line until you reach the center of your spiral.

5. Snip off the end of your spiral at the point that it begins to turn back into the bag.

6. Beginning at the end of the spiral, start to roll up the paper until you reach the center of your spiral.

7. When you are finished rolling it, it should look like a tightly rolled up piece of paper.

8. Place the rolled up paper in the palm of your hand and let it fall loosely apart. You may have to gently “help” it by turning the center of the flower to open it up a bit more.

9. For the stem, I chose a green pipe cleaner, but you could use your imagination and come up with something different or funky depending on your project. Flip the flower upside down, and tape the pipe cleaner to the base of the flower.

10. And here is the finished product…

11. Add a few paper flowers and it becomes a unique bouquet!

12. And to step it up a notch, we added a few tulips and a hydrangea…DONE! =)

Hmmmm…..possibly one of these Kraft Bag Flowers glued to the top of a Kraft Brown favor or gift box, with additional strips cut from the brown paper bag of choice, and used like ribbon around the box. You have my mind thinking in a new direction!!! Thank you.

I was wondering the same thing–that’s why I’m reading the comments, actually. The only thing I’ve come up with so far is to put glue inside, and see if that will hold it when it dries. I was worried about the glue dripping through the bottom, but, happily (and weirdly), the only craft-type glue I have on hand is glitter glue, which is viscous enough that it doesn’t drip. (I tried poking holes through the side in hopes of inserting ornamental wire petals that would hold the whole thing in place, but it turns out that poking holes through a bunch of layers of paper bag with a safety pin is pretty difficult.)

I find these ideas and tips very creative. These ideas also inspire me to adopt environmentally-friendly practices at home and for my parties or special events. Using recycled materials is inventive and unique. I also bring my paper waste to recycling facilities after I destroy them with a paper shredder. This way, I am not only contributing to eco-friendly practices, I’m also keeping my personal information secure.

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